Lighthouse
by Unfortunate Events
Summary: College over and done with, Yumi struggles with her feelings deepening over Ulrich, and the return of Xana - who she had thought they were finally rid of.


_A/N:_

_I love Owl City:3_

_Inspiration, led me too this:D_

_I don't own Code Lyoko._

_Reviews would be appreciated, criticism, anything._

_By the way, I never got a chance to watch the end of this show, it stopped showing on my TV and I can't find the complete shows on here, and besides I had watched this show when I was little, so if something in this has already happened in the show, just go along with me!_

_Alternate universe, in a way, just in case._

_Enjoy~_

_**Lighthouse;**_

Vanilla Twilight

_I wish you were here._

Her hands clad in white gloves that revealed her fingers - _honestly?_ What was the point in wearing gloves that didn't _protect_ her fingers? - moved towards her hair, where she tucked some short black strands behind her ear. Her knitted flat black hat - that didn't entirely cover her whole head - lay firmly on her head, and she breathed in the bitter crisp, winter air. Her checkered black and white scarf warmed her neck, and she was thankful. It was freezing, but she loved coming out this early, to watch the sun rise.

Her black boots began to crunch the snow beneath, as she made her way towards the Lighthouse, tugging her black pea coat tighter around her frame. Her arms swung against her sides, as she stared at the blue sky, swarmed with gray and white clouds. It was literally, a whirlwind of puffy clouds.

Her thoughts roamed as she made her way past the barren white landscape, it was a vast amount of space before she reached the Lighthouse, and even there, minimal trees littered around it.

She wondered how everyone was doing...Odd, Jeremy, Aelita, Xana, Ulrich...her heart pounded heavily in her chest at the thought of his name. When high-school had gotten out, they all went their separate ways since everyone but Jeremy and Aelita had been selected for different colleges. Now college was over and done with, and she found herself coming back to the Lighthouse where she had spent many years with Ulrich, waiting...and waiting.

Her fingers tapped lightly against her black jeans as she gazed at the scenery, so serene, so beautiful. Her breath came out in white puffs as she exhaled sharply, winter was a bother. But, she also loved it. Stopping suddenly, she gazed at the Lighthouse, and saw two figures in the distance. A couple? Perhaps. She figured she should come back later in the day, give the couple some space.

Turning on the heels of her boots, she made an indent in the hard, snow covered ground. She hurried back the way she came, not wanting to be spotted in the distance by the couple and get scorned. Yes, it had happened before. Not a lovely thing. Jeremy was so peeved, and Aelita had been constantly doing something she had learned recently - teasing.

_She was walking carefully towards Jeremy's dorm, she had wanted to ask him why Ulrich had been so distant lately. After he had seen her and William chatting up about how she would confess to Ulrich, he had avoided her at all times. She knew - of course - that he was jealous, but his jealousy would always die down. It hadn't. _

_Her fingers tugged the door handle down, and the door opened to reveal Aelita kissing Jeremy, quite passionately, she had realized. She choked down her laughter, and felt her hand move to her face, covering her nose so she wouldn't snort._

_Jeremy tore himself from Aelita, and his eyes widened - yet burned with such an intensity - as he gazed at who had broken their 'private moment'. _

_"Yumi? What the heck are you doing here?" He exclaimed, his fingers fumbling with his glasses - such a bad habit of his. _

_"I...uh..." She fought to control her laughter that was bound to burst out. "Um...I wanted to know why Ulrich..." A small snort slipped through her fingers. "Is...avoiding me..." Finally, she couldn't take it. Laughter exploded from her lips, and she felt tears rise to her eyes. Her arms slid down to her knees, and she fought to catch her breath. _

_Aelita smiled softly, and her hand rested softly into Jeremy's just as she knew he was about to retort something un-helpful. "Ulrich loves you, Yumi. That much I'm surprised I knew before you! He's afraid, nervous - really, at what to tell you." She responded, and began to tease Jeremy._

_"Why are you so nervous, Jeremy? You're shaking." She giggled lightly. _

_Yumi's thoughts directed away from Aelita and Jeremy, and her laughter completely died down. Ulrich...loved her? She knew that he had feelings for her...that much was clear. She had feelings for him. But, he really loved her? Had spoken that word with his own lips? _

_She escaped from Jeremy's room, slamming the door behind her, oblivious to the worried looks Aelita shot at Jeremy. _

Her lips pulled at the corners and she tried not to frown, that was all behind her. She had never been able to confront Ulrich about it even after all those years, and he had never confessed. They had pulled each other along on a very thin line of friendship, and tried all they could not to fall prey to their helpless feelings for one another.

A light sigh slipped through her lips, and she directed her attention towards getting back to her car. Though - clearly - she could see it right in front of her, a few feet away, she hated reliving past memories. Never, had once been good. Yet...her eyes lowered, her eyelashes brushing against her cheeks, as she thought of Xana. All those hardships, fighting to protect Aelita, and get her safely in the Earth world had worked. Xana was gone - hopefully forever - and Aelita was safe, out of harm's way - well in Lyoko world - because of Jeremy. Her safety in Earth was a completely different story. Putting up with Odd and Ulrich's plans to get her and Jeremy together were wild.

Her boots placed pressure against the cobblestone pathway, covered in snow, as she reached her black jaguar. Her parents always wanted to chip in money, although she'd rather work for it, but they insisted on at least buying her this car to commemorate her achievements. Although she felt as though she hadn't done anything fulfilling...maybe it's because she didn't have Ulrich there to confine in.

Pulling open her car door, she slid in, shaking the snow off her boots before closing the door beside her. Sliding her key into the exhaust, she turned the heater on, letting the warm air blast onto her pale face. Placing her foot on the gas, she pulled out of the area where she parked and decided to head into the city. Maybe there was a coffee shop open, where she could have some coffee, and a bite to eat, before heading back.

Ulrich.

She couldn't get her mind off of him, even though driving was the main thing she needed to think about at the moment, especially since the roads were packed with snow and ice was starting to form.

She wondered if he had gotten a soccer scholarship, or even went to college for soccer, and was now working his way towards fame. She wished she could still be talking to him, to know all about his life now. She slammed on her brakes as she neared a small Inn, and swore she saw an older version of Odd..._serving _at a Bed and Breakfast.

Her head turned slightly to stare in her rear-view mirror and she pulled up in the parking lot, turning the key in her car, and pulling it out, shoving it into her pocket. Opening her car door, she stepped out, and closed the door behind her. Walking slowly towards the entrance, it swung open before she could reach it and someone bumped into her, _hard._

"Ow..." She groaned, and she stumbled back trying to catch herself before she tumbled into the snow. A hand snatched out and held her steady. Just as she stood straight, the hand released her sharply, and she stumbled - again - but her boots crunched into the snow and she stopped from tumbling backwards.

"What in the world?" She hissed sharply, her eyes roaming up to see who had suddenly shoved her backwards.

"Yumi?" The voice asked slowly - in disbelief - and she stared, and stared...and stared.

"William." She slowly bit the side of her lip. Oh, this wasn't good. Not good at all. She had to get inside and find Odd - if he was the one she saw, she had been desperately avoiding William for years.

_She admitted to Aelita that she had a small attraction towards William, and that she liked him, just a little. But, she didn't have the same feelings for him like she did for Ulrich. _

_"Aelita...I do somewhat like William, but he constantly wants to do something. I need space, I need time to think about things. Ulrich just goes and kisses me before we have to leave, and then William kisses me and-" Her fingers clenched tighter, drawing blood, and Aelita winced._

_"Yumi, take a deep breath, stop hurting yourself," Aelita whispered, cutting her off._

_"But, which kiss left you wanting more? Which kiss left you wishing the other was kissing you instead?" Aelita asked, her eyes roaming over Yumi's flushed face._

_"Ulrich's kiss left me wanting more...Willam's kiss left me wishing Ulrich was kissing me instead." She answered softly. _

_"You need to tell Ulrich, and William, how you feel. That's the only way to solve this. Of course, William won't be pleased but he'll understand. He was planning on getting you two together anyway, right?" _

_Oh, yeah. He was. _

_"Yeah." Yumi whispered, her eyes dragging towards Ulrich's room farther down the hall._

_"I'll talk to you later, Yumi, fill me in." Aelita smiled, pulling Yumi in for a quick hug before heading back into Jeremy's room. _

_Yumi began to head for Ulrich's room, her palms sweating, so she pulled her sleeves down to cover her hands. Before she reached his door though, William popped out - of literally nowhere - and beamed. _

_"Yumi! I was hoping to catch you. Have a moment?" He asked._

_"Not really, but, go ahead. Speak." Yumi muttered urgently. _

_"I want to get something cleared up between us. You like Ulrich, and not me, right?" His eyes lifted towards the ceiling - in a silent plea? - and he awaited her response._

_"Er, well, isn't it kinda obvious? I mean we were planning on get Ulrich and I together? Wasn't that proof enough?" Was...he blanking out? _

_"Well, I kissed you, I thought maybe your feelings might of changed." William sighed, and smiled sheepishly. "I guess Ulrich's stolen your heart for awhile, huh?"_

_"William...when you kissed me, I'm sorry, but I had wished it was Ulrich instead. Not saying you're not a good kisser, I just do love Ulrich..." She answered, her fingers messing with the edge of her sleeves. _

_"That's alright, can we still be friends?" His eyes narrowed, his hands reached behind his neck, where he rubbed it nervously._

_"Sure." She responded, unsure, but said what he wanted to hear, so she could get away, fast. _

_He smiled, and she passed him, knocking loud on Ulrich's door, aware of William watching her a few feet away. _

_His door opened, but it wasn't Ulrich who answered, it was Odd._

_"GAH!" She muttered dark things under her breath and Odd's eyes widened._

_"Are you that unhappy to see me? Sheesh, Yumi, I'll go kill myself now." Odd teased._

_Yumi smiled softly, her eyes peering through the opened door, for any trace of Ulrich. "I'm sorry, Odd, I just want to talk to Ulrich."_

_Odd's eyebrow raised curiously "He already left, he said that he had said his goodbyes to you." _

_"No!" Yumi yelled, her fists swinging at Odd's door._

_Odd swore, his hands running through his hair. "That's why he wouldn't look me in the eye, Yumi...he's gone. I don't think I'll be able to reach him on his cell, you know how the staff there are. He also knows he's in trouble...so..."_

_"Thanks anyway, Odd..." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes. _

Her fingers shook as she shoved them in her pockets, fumbling with her keys. A huge smile arrived on his lips, and she took a moment to survey him.

His black hair had seemed to grow even longer, it was brushing his shoulders. He looked like a girl, she gulped down her small laugh. He was certainly taller, way taller.

His voice was deeper, and his eyes brighter, full of much more life. He analyzed her, and her eyebrow rose. He was wearing black jeans, a dark navy blue jacket, and black gloves.

"What're you doing in France? Weren't you in Japan?" God, he was slow, didn't remember anything she told him other than when she had told him she had a small attraction for him. She had told him, her whole outline for College, and afterwards.

"I'm visiting for a bit to see my family, and...others." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Ah, that's cool. How's Hiroki?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him in years. Could we catch up later?" Her eyes tried to peer into the Inn, but he was blocking her view.

"Sure, here's my number. Call you later?" He shuffled through his pockets and pulled out some paper, and a pen. Scribbling down his number, he handed it to her. What the heck? Did he know beforehand that she was staying in France or something? Planned this out?

She crumpled the note as she placed it in her pocket, and smiled at him, as he began to head towards his car. "Yep, have a nice day."

Her fingers gripped the handle of the door, and she pushed the door open, closing it behind her. She was met with the fresh aroma of baked goods, bread, mixed with the heavenly aroma of the bunch of flowers scattered all over small dining tables.

"Hello, welcome to Hiyashi's Bed and Breakfast! I'll be with you in a second - Yumi?" The sound of clattering reached her ears, and she turned towards the noise. Odd was standing solemnly near a door marked Kitchen, with a couple of broken trays by his feet. A smile appeared on her lips. Odd looked the same, childish but serious. His hair still was the same style, and still blonde with purple. He was wearing a plain long sleeved purple shirt, a white frilled apron over it, sliding down his dark purple pants. He still had a love for purple.

"Odd!" She exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears. She missed him, glad she had finally been able to see one long lost friend.

"What...you... I thought - Have you talked to Ulrich?" Her smile faltered.

"No...you're the first I've seen in years...have you?" She asked, so much hope filled her voice. He shook his head, smiling nervously.

"I haven't...I saw him a few weeks ago, god, Yumi, you'd be drooling all over." Yumi laughed, she missed Odd's humor.

She took cautious steps towards him, her fingers shaking, and he grinned happily at her. His arms opened wide and she pulled him into an embrace. "I've missed you, Odd." She smiled into the fabric of his shirt.

"I've missed you too, Yumi." He patted her back comfortingly.

"Why are you working here? I thought you had plans to become the worlds best singer!" She teased lightly.

He pulled away, laughing, and gestured towards a small man hovering over the front desk, on his computer. "My friend needed some extra work, I needed some extra cash, do the math. Eh, that didn't work out too well."

She laughed, and bent down to help him pick of the broken shards, carefully.

"Yumi, you don't have to help." He shook his head.

"I'd like to." She smiled, and he kneeled down to help her.

After cleaning up the broken shards, listening to Odd crack many jokes about the people and his job, the two were sitting at a small table in the back corner of the little restaurant. Odd had ordered them many things, because, as you know he loved food. He was digging in, and she picked at her turkey.

"Yumi, I can call Ulrich on his cell if you'd like. Oh, wait, better yet, I'll give you his number." Odd babbled on, oblivious to the fact that Yumi was lost in her thoughts.

_"Ulrich...I love you." She scribbled the words furiously in her journal, her head slamming against her bedroom wall. Why, couldn't she have the courage to say that to his face? _

_She poured out all her feelings into her journal, her pen running through the thin paper fast. Her eyebrows pulled into concentration; she almost didn't notice her phone vibrating in her jacket by her door. Sliding off her bed, she pulled her phone off. _

_Ulrich._

_The name buzzed on her screen, sighing, she opened her phone and placed it against her ear._

_"Hello?" She asked._

_"Yumi? Can you come out?" His voice pulled her out of her small daydream where he was throwing pebbles at her window._

_"No, my parents are downstairs, locked the door." She answered. _

_The sound of something hitting her window startled her. Pushing her curtains aside she saw Ulrich standing below her window, small pebbles in his hand._

_Wow._

_Cliché._

_He smiled, and continued tossing the pebbles at her window. Scowling, she pushed her window open, and glared down at him._

_"Ulrich! What're you doing?" He grinned._

_"Throwing pebbles at your window, beckoning you to come down." He replied softly._

_"I can't." She managed to let out a soft laugh._

_"Well, let's go somewhere tomorrow? Breakfast, lunch, dinner?" He asked shyly, his fingers nervously fumbling together._

_"I'd love to." She blew him a kiss, and his face flushed dark red._

"Yumi? YUMI? Hello, anyone home? H-e-l-l-o?" Odd poked her cheek, trying to direct her attention away from la-la-land.

"Sorry, Odd, what are you saying?" She shook her head, discoloring her thoughts, and he grinned.

"I asked if you wanted Ulrich's cell number, but don't worry, I already called him, asked him if he wanted some coffee with me. Doesn't know you're here."

"Odd! Why did you do that? He won't want to talk to me, he probably has a girlfriend!" Yumi's eyes widened drastically.

Odd grinned, and swished his hand through the air nonchalantly. "Yumi, don't worry, he doesn't have a girl, his heart is still with you."

She slammed her head down on the table, over, and over, and Odd frowned.

"You might not want to do that, when he gets here..." He laughed.

She frowned, and pulled her jacket off, throwing it on the back of her chair. A long-sleeved plain black V-neck was revealed, and she pulled the sleeves over her hands - she had taken her gloves off - nervously.

The front door chimed, signaling the entrance, and her eyes swerved towards the door. Her heart began to escalate as she saw him standing there, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Her eyes roamed all over him, his hair was longer, running a little over his ears, his brown eyes - so lovely - were shining, he was wearing a brown jacket over a dark blue shirt, and brown baggy pants. Brown shoes were collected on his feet, and she just couldn't stop staring.

"Yumi, stop undressing Ulrich with your eyes." She heard Odd chortle behind her.

His eyes locked with hers, and widened in surprise. His feet padded against the wooded floor as he made his way over towards them. Yumi turned around in her seat, her cheeks turning crimson.

"There's some spare rooms you two can have, if you want to ravish each other." Odd commented when Ulrich was finally in earshot.

Yumi's face burned the essence of red, and Ulrich raised his eyebrow. "Odd..." He warned.

Odd grinned, and Ulrich slid into the chair beside Yumi, his eyes glancing at her briefly.

"Hey...Yumi." His voice - oh god - melted her to the core, so velvety, so suave.

"Ulrich...hey." She whispered, fiddling with her fork.

"How was Japan?" He remembered? Dear lord.

"It was good...I missed you all." She smiled, her fingers still messing with her fork, she moved it to peck at her turkey once more.

"I missed you too," Her face burned. "I mean we." Odd grinned knowingly.

"How was...America? Did you get a soccer career settled?"

"It was good...not yet, it's still in the works. How long are you here for?" His eyes continued to burn into hers.

"A few weeks." She whispered heavily.

"You can stay here, if you'd like, Yumi." Odd commented.

Before Yumi could reply, Ulrich spoke. "She can stay at my place!"

Her eyes widened, and Odd snorted, his fingers drumming against the table.

"You wouldn't want to stay here, Yumi, it's boring. Besides, Odd would leave and come back in the morning." He nodded his head. "You can stay at my place, for the time being, my house isn't completely furnished yet-"

"So you two can sleep together." Odd cackled.

Yumi giggled softly. "I'd love to, Ulrich." Her eyes then widened. "The staying at your place part!" She glared at Odd.

The three finished a small brunch, catching up on how college had been, where they figured Aelita and Jeremy were and plans to come back tomorrow and get Aelita and Jeremy to come, if their cell numbers were still the same.

Yumi stood, as did Ulrich and he helped her with her coat, his arms resting on her shoulders a few minutes, and she blushed ferociously. The two said their goodbyes to Odd, and headed out the door.

Ulrich leaned on his shoes shyly, and gestured to his car. "Want a ride to my house?"

"I drove my car...but can we stop at my parents first? So I can pack some things, and then I'll follow you towards your house?" She asked.

He smiled, "I'd love to, check up on your parents, and Hiroki." Yumi smiled in return, and Ulrich headed towards his car, and Yumi towards hers.

She slipped into her car, and sighed. Ulrich. He was just so...handsome. Sliding her key in, she pulled out of the Inn parking lot and headed down the road, towards her parents home. Ulrich had pulled out with his silver Maybach 62 Zeppelin, and followed her. She switched her radio on, and _Billionaire _flooded into her car. She began to sing along, tapping her steering wheel.

Turning towards the right, she pulled up to her small Japanese-styled home, and parked her car in the front. Ulrich pulled his car up beside her, and turned the exhaust off. She got out, and stared at Ulrich who sat in his car, murmuring something to himself.

She smiled, and fumbled with her hands, and headed towards her front door. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently. Ulrich approached, and stood beside her. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and she kept darting glances at him from the corner of her eye. Once, their eyes met and she looked down, fearing her pale cheeks would explode with an outburst of red.

"Coming, coming!" A voice spoke as it approached the door, closer and closer. The footsteps became heavier and the door was yanked open. Surprise was etched onto her father's features as he took in his daughter and the childhood friend he had always disliked the most. Well, because, he knew that the boy was crushing on his daughter and was too a coward to confess.

"Hello Yumi, welcome home, come in, come in...you too - Stern." He barked out the last words as he stood back to allow Yumi and Ulrich step inside. Yumi sighed in relief as the warm air met her cold frame. She shivered involuntarily, watching Ulrich staring nervously at her father who was glaring him down.

"Dad, calm down, Ulrich hasn't tried anything funny, I'm a big girl now I can't take care of myself. Where's mom? Hiroki?" Her dad still gazed at Ulrich with narrowed eyes.

"Your mother is out grocery shopping and your brother is in the living room, still playing those ridiculous video games. He's older now...ugh. I need some tea." He started mumbling to himself as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Would you like anything, Ulrich? I can whip up some hot chocolate." Yumi stared at Ulrich, as she began to unwrap her scarf from her neck, and tried to yank her coat off.

"That'd be great." He mumbled, as he helped Yumi pull of her coat, his cheeks lightly brushed a soft red. She thanked him quietly and he slid out of his own coat and they hung it on a small rack by the door.

Yumi made her way into the living room, Ulrich trailing right behind her. Hiroki looked the same - dark hair, slightly long - and was still playing his game boy advanced sp. His short sleeved dark blue sweater rested above his long-sleeved green shirt. He looked up for a moment, then back down to his game.

"Hi Yumi, look, you brought your lover! Ulrich, hey, did you ask my sis' out yet? Time is ticking." Ulrich mumbled under his breath and Yumi fumed quietly beside him. Hiroki grinned mysteriously.

"Sorry Yumi, I'm just messing with you two. But, honestly Ulrich it's been like forever and still you haven't confessed your love-" Yumi slapped Hiroki upside the head - gently, of course. He frowned and absorbed himself in his handheld device.

Ulrich sat down next to him and watched him play some random fighting game, and they began to chat about it. Yumi muttered that she was going to make hot chocolate and left the two boys.

Arriving in the kitchen, she saw her father leaning over the table, staring solemnly at his tea.

"Dad? Is everything alright?" He looked up at Yumi, tears forming in his eye ducts.

"No matter what I do...I'm still having trouble with your mother, after all this time...we made it work out, with your help. But, I always screw things up...Yumi." He sounded so miserable.

"Marriages aren't always made to work out, Dad, they have their issues...but you and Mom have been through hell and back. I know you, and, honestly why is this putting you down? Get up, go buy mom some flowers and chocolates, plan a romantic evening out tonight. I'm sure Hiroki will be fine-"

"He's on a date tonight with that little girl that he's liked - Milly? But alright...thanks sweetie, I'll go do that." He stood, embracing Yumi and the sound of the door shutting made her smile.

She went to work making hot chocolate, and made a cup for Hiroki, whether he wanted one or not. Pouring the powder into three steaming mugs she stirred and placed them on a tray along with little chocolate chip cookies she managed to find in the pantry. Heading towards the living room, she saw Hiroki still intent in his game, and Ulrich staring at the ceiling, his eyes slightly closed.

The three polished off their hot chocolate and the plate of cookies, and Yumi caught up with all the moments she missed in Hiroki's life, his new girlfriend, how the term was, and even Ulrich and him spoke about things.

Yumi had traveled upstairs for a moment bringing down two suitcases and her purse and opened the front door, stashing them in her trunk and then coming back inside.

Yumi pulled her coat on, and wrapped her scarf around her neck tightly, yawning as Ulrich slid into his coat. Hiroki had put his game down momentarily and hugged Yumi tightly "Come back soon to visit?" He even hugged Ulrich.

"Of course I will, silly. I came to visit you all anyway." Something flashed in Ulrichs eyes and Hiroki smirked. The conversation he held with Ulrich while Yumi was in the kitchen had been very, very, interesting.

_"So, are you like, getting in my sisters pants?" Hiroki asked Ulrich once Yumi had left the room, Ulrichs eyes hadn't even lifted off his sister untill she was gone from his view._

_"N-No!" Spluttered Ulrich, surprised and he just sat there, gawking at Hiroki. _

_"I meant what I said earlier about how time was ticking. You two are done with _college _now; I mean what's with that? And still, you haven't told my sister you love her! Which, obviously you do!" Ulrich gulped._

_"I've meant to tell her, Hiroki...really I have. I'm planning on doing it soon." Hiroki grinned wickedly._

_"Good, you'd better or I'll tell her you stole her diary." _

_"That was you."_

_"So." _

Yumi ventured out into the blistering cold, Ulrich behind her, and they went their separate ways. Ulrich pulled out of her driveway and Yumi followed suit. She wondered what his house was like. Mysterious and dark like him? Or maybe it was gothic, ha-ha. Yeah, that'd be wicked. Her thoughts pulled her into a slight haze, but she shook her head as Ulrich halted to a stop and drove into his driveway. Yumi's car parked next to his, and her eyes stared at his house. It was certainly big.

A light gray, not quite a mansion...but close enough to it. Black stones littered the bottom half of the outer paint job. A small coy pond lay in the front, surrounded by gray stone benches and flowers of different sorts. Beautiful, was all she could call it.

Stumbling out of her car she continued to stare, and stare, at his house. Lost in how perfect it seemed she almost had a heart-attack when Ulrich popped open her trunk, and began to pull out her suitcases, two, and her black and gray checkered purse.

"You don't have too much clothes, nice purse by the way." Gosh. That scared the crap out of her.

"Thanks - holy crap Ulrich, how in the world did you afford this place?" Her voice held so much disbelief and he looked at her, smiling softly.

"I've been saving up money for a long time...and when I found this house I thought wow this is perfect for u- me." He quickly changed his words, and Yumi noticed but didn't say anything. He was going to say us. Her cheeks flushed but she walked up towards his stairs, hoping to make it seem like the cold was affecting her.

"I can't get my things, you know." She called back towards him, plopping down on a gray bench.

"I'm glad to do it for you, you're staying here after all." He responded, opening his front door as he finally approached, holding her bags.

The inside of his house was as grand as the outside, and yes, beautiful. A long winding staircase led from what she assumed she was standing in - the lobby. The house consisted of a large kitchen, study room, bedrooms, bathrooms...etcetera.

Ulrich led her up the stairs, and into what she heard him say was his bedroom. His walls were a light blue, and his carpet a dark gray, a huge bed laid in the middle back, a desk off to the left side, a dresser towards the right. A guitar laid near his bedside table, and her eyes sparked.

He plopped her suitcases on the ground, and placed her purse on top of them. His gaze turned to her, and he saw her staring at the guitar. Her eyes were hazy, like she was recalling something.

She wiped her face, feeling as though she was about to cry. Ulrich had played his guitar before for her once, but he must've forgotten, it was so long ago. She smiled softly at him and said "Well, where am I sleeping?"

Ulrich laughed and Yumi's insides flooded with indescribable warmth. "Here, I'm sleeping downstairs on the couch, it's really comfortable." Yumi's eyes narrowed. Seriously? He couldn't do that.

"No, I'll sleep on the couch, and don't you dare disagree, Ulrich Stern." His lips pulled down in a frown and she grinned, pulling her purse around her shoulders. Tugging on her suitcases she began to pull them down the stairs - carefully. Ulrich sighed, and scooped the suitcases up in his arms.

He walked down with her, and laid them by the couch, where he had placed pillows and a couple of blankets. A gas fireplace steered in front of the white and brown couches - three of them - and a small coffee table was where the couches all faced. A plasma screen television fit firmly above the fireplace, and Yumi gaped.

She was living a teenage dream.

Ulrich spoke, starling her - once again. "Could we...um..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, sheepishly. "Go out for dinner tonight...? Catch up?"

"I'd love to, Ulrich." Ulrich smiled.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up." He spoke softly, treading up the stairs.

"If you don't mind, I'll be heading towards the Lighthouse for a bit, I won't be long." He nodded, and Yumi pulled out her cell phone.

"Can I have your cell number?" She asked him softly, and he recited it, she punched the numbers into her phone and headed outside towards her car.

Sliding into her car, she pulled out of his driveway and her car rumbled down towards the Lighthouse. Parking on the same pebbles, she tugged herself out of her car and began the long trek across the snow. Her fingers shoved deep into her jean pockets, her heart began to thump happily - and might she add, hard - against her chest.

She was _living _with Ulrich, well, for the time being...but still. It was a dream come true. She swallowed as the Lighthouse eventually came into view. Huge, white, with red rims, a bright light flashing around. The smell of the sea, salted, ocean reached her nose as she approached the dark black rocks. Plopping down, her feet dangled off the cliff, towards the rushing waves the collided with the stone.

Staring up at the sky, her eyes widened. The snow added a dark gray tint to the normal blue, but, the massive amount of clouds were swirling - puffy. Different hues of blue, gray, and yellow. It was spectacular. She got lost in the view of the sky, and almost didn't notice her cell vibrating off wildly in her pocket.

Stumbling out of her transfix, she pulled her cell out and Ulrich's name flashed across the screen. Ulrich? Wasn't he taking a shower? A small smile pulled at her lips, as she flipped her phone open.

"Hel-" She didn't even get to answer, Ulrich's voice snapped her attention quickly, his words rushing out, sending a chill into the pit of her stomach, a stab in her heart.

"Xana has returned."

_A/N:_

_Ah, finished with this chapter._

_I hope you enjoyed it._

_I enjoyed writing it, though I may have made the characters a tad ooc._

_Sorry:)_


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